New Blues Guitar

[Deleted]

Hi everyone... I have just received an email from Robin at Busker Guitars concerning the new Blues guitar and the decision to give it a "greyburst" finish. Here is a copy of my email back, which I'm posting here to see what other people think. This is my own personal view but, after waiting so long and drooling over that one photo of the blues with the aged finish, I can't help feeling a bit disappointed....

Thanks very much for the update on the MM Blues guitar... I have to say ( at first glance!) that I can't help feeling very disappointed at the decision to use a 'greyburst' finish. One of the most important things for me was the great, aged finish shown on that one small photo of the Blues on Michael's website. As you well know, these days resonators come in all sorts of weird and wonderful finishes, no doubt sometimes hiding a multitude of sins and badly made guitars, and I know that deep inside the really important thing is the guitar beneath that finish, which I have no doubt at all is 100% perfect, but having seen this 'greyburst' finish (I know... you did point out that it's a bad photo, etc.!) I'm not convinced about it all. My first impression is that it looks so bland and I don't like it.

I only tell you this in case feedback from waiting customers is important to future decisions, but I have to tell you that my wife has a set of matching saucepans in this exact finish! Sorry... it sounds so awful and superficial to say such things, maybe the finished product will look better but, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the bad photo is not allowing us to see the great finish...

I can only now wait and hope. It would be great to see a good quality photo of the assembled and finished guitar, so I will be checking out yours and Michael's website each day.

Sorry to send you such negative feedback... I'm probably the only one who feels this way but I had to tell you my thoughts. Maybe it would be possible by special order and once paid for, perhaps for a small extra charge and while the guitar is still in the workshop, to chuck some acid over it or roughen it up somehow to give it some character?

Anyway, I'll wait and see what happens next and wait for that all important photo!

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Well, I have to say, I was put off by the "vintage/antique/slightly rusted" look finish.
I think it would look much more like a vintage National - especially if they could get that dark to lighter grey finish, that the early Duolians with the Duco finish had.

I look forward to seeing the photos.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Hansi,

I understand and appreciate your message. There are a few reasons for the old style sunburst finish, and something that may not have been mentioned in the mail-out.

When I received the aged prototype MM BLUES, I was a little unsure of of running with it. Although in the photos and from a distance it looks good, up close under a real light it is not quite up to standard. The first thing I did was to ask them to improve on that finish, but sadly they never got anything that I felt happy with. Each one came up so different (some looking terrible!) that it was not possible to go with that idea for the production model.

My original intention with this whole project was to create a guitar reminiscent of the classic National Duolians made in the depressed 1930s. These came in various dull grey, greeny grey, gold and black sunbursts. The paint finish they used is called duco and is like you say, a bit like a cooking pot or an old oven. The colour I have chosen is not a replica, but very close and in the spirit of those original Duolians. When they were new they were not rusty or aged looking, they were beautifully finished depression era guitars. It is only in recent years that people have wanted new 'aged' guitars and is something that unless it is done really well, it doesn't quite do it for me.

Knowing that some people do like the aged look that is being produced by our workshop, we are probably going to offer aged MM BLUES guitars as one-off special orders. These will only be available direct from us on the Busker Guitars website. We are also hoping to get steel bodied LIGHTNING models, which essentially will be the BLUES with the LIGHTNING finish.

In addition; if you want the MM BLUES prototype guitar that I was photographed with (MMB TEST 001 08 - is the serial number), it is for sale. The prototypes are one-off guitars that were expensive for us to buy, so we are probably going to eBay it and see what happens. If you are interested in it, talk to me!

The natural ageing of a National guitar produces beautiful rust patches and marks of wear & tear that have character & tell a story. Nothing I have seen (IMO), apart from NRP Replicons, comes anywhere close.

Shine On
Michael.

[vivek]

hey michael,
so will it be a standard grey burst only for the paint jobs, or will you be able to do the swampy green/yellow type thing as well? that might make up for lack of the beat up look, if it were possible. i've always kinda dug the yellowish ones

[Deleted]

Hi Michael
Thanks very much for your reply. Yes, I understand completely about the technical problems involved with trying to produce a convincing aged finish, and then, even if you managed to do this, there would always be those (like me!) who would prefer something else! Human nature, I guess. Robin has suggested that once I see that greyburst finish properly, my opinion of it will change... this is quite possible, although I still think that the aged look is the one for me, but we'll see!
I was trying to explain to Robin that I find myself in that dilemma whereby, for example, when buying a car you find exactly the spec that you've been looking for, but the car only comes in pink! Do you just go for the spec and ignore the pink.... it's a difficult situation? All this does sound rather superficial, I know, but it is important to love the way something looks as well, even if beauty is only skin deep! I have no doubt at all that your two guitars will be the best on the market for this price bracket, and with your experience and devotion backing each instrument, only a fool would look elsewhere for something that has the right look maybe but most probably not the quality. One way or another, either the greybust or one of your aged specials, I will definitely own one of them, of this I have no doubts. The prototype will probably end up being too expensive if offered on ebay, so I will wait for some photos of the greyburst and the special aged models and choose one or the other.
Is the greyburst actually painted of is it a technical process that gives the metal the finish?
Anyway, I just can't wait to see those photos.... thanks again for all your help...
Hansi

[Deleted]

Hi again....
I forgot to mention something important, and that is, and once again I'm only speaking for myself here, that for me it's not so important for the guitar to actually look genuinely like it's had 80 years of wear, but rather, that it just has some character about it.... there is a difference in there somewhere!
Hansi

[Michael Messer]

Hi Hansi,

Thanks for your reply and comments. I enjoy and learn from answering the various questions I get asked about MM guitars.

You did ask one more question about the finish, and the answer is - that it is paint. I think these guitars will age beautifully. That 'character' that you talk about, for me is best when it is real.

Shine On
Michael

[buzz1ng]

Hi Michael paint job looks the real deal to my untrained eye. You can send me one asap. Cheers .

[riclat]

Hi Michael,
I'm curious how the paint finish for the Blues compares with the ones available on Republic single cones.

www.republicguitars.com/singlecones.html

I realize they offer swamp green, not gray, but is the paint applied the same way? Was swamp green one of the colors you considered?

Living in the USA, buying a Republic is a more reasonable option than getting a MM, unfortunately.

Richard

[Deleted]

Hi Michael
Yes, you're perfectly correct about genuine wear showing the most character... the trouble is, I'm one of those people who really looks after things in general, and as I'm no spring chicken, it will be nigh on impossible for me to wear out that paint job before it's time for me to hang up my finger-picks! I do know what you mean though and I'm pleased to hear that it is actually paint and not a modern technique, that does make a big difference in my mind, and will certainly give the guitars that all important authentic feel.
Just on a technical note: what sort of effect does the paint job have on tone... would a layer of paint dampen vibration or would bare metal resonate more. I remember years ago, a friend of mine painted his wooden bodied guitar black and it certainly changed the sound. I'm guessing though that it can't make a lot of difference, otherwise you wouldn't do it?
Hansi

[tark]

Just to provide a balancing opinion - I think Mr Makin has done the Blues design proud - I like it. I hope the paint finish is tough. NRPs polychrome finish is ridiculously hard wearing.

I'm deeply suspicious of the artificial relic or aged look and in any case to do it well and consistently requires hours of hand labour. I think its bit daft to pay over the odds for a new guitar that looks like an old one and is already half worn out.

[Michael Messer]

Hi all,

Thanks for your comments and support. I have been asked a few questions that I will answer:

Richard (Riclat) - 1) The paint finish is different to what you see on the Republic website. 2) Swamp green was never a colour we considered. However, we do plan to vary the sunbursts like the originals.

Hansi - The paint does not affect the tone of the guitar. It is real paint sprayed on by hand in layers to create the desired effect.

Tark - Thanks for your words of support. I think the NRP powder coating is probably more heavy duty than our paint finish will be. The NRP powder coating will last for a very long time, 100 years. It is almost too tough.

Shine On
Michael

[vivek]

hi michael
do you think it would be possible at any stage to do a custom order, for example in the style of yellow palm tree triolian with maple neck? even without the whole palm stencil, just yellow? or is this impossible witht the nature of the set up of the workshop?
and do you plan at any stage to expand the finish range? i may be being simple minded, but i would have thought the finishing technique would be similar for different paint colours
cheers
vivek

[narapo]

Hi Michael,

I have received the message from Robin at Busker Guitars and at first I was a bit disapointed as I have found the pictures of the aged Delta on the Busker Guitars site very convincing. But after loking closely at those tiny LoRes pictures, and the "montage" you made, I think I can got with that finish after all, but I like to see more pictures before making my final decision.

You say the prototypes are to be sold (wether on ebay or directly) ; can you show us (or send by email) how does the proto really look like ? because I have only seen MMB TEST 002 08 on the small black and white picture from you main site www.michaelmesser.co.uk/



and it's a bit too small to see the finish.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Narapo,

I have not been happy with all three aged looking prototypes that I received. That is what has held us up and caused the delay. The reason the photo is in black & white is because I really did not want anyone to think I was producing a bright orange aged-look guitar.

I will post some well lit close up photos of the prototypes so everyone can understand why we eventually made the right decision and went with the greyburst. All three prototypes are excellent guitars, so anyone buying one will get a great guitar. 001 has smaller rolled F holes and a slightly narrower body - It's a lovely guitar with a great punchy tone. 002 & 003 are identical to production models, but both have different attempts at the aged look.

Shine On
Michael